This is a Deccan, cast brass, standing ram from North Karnataka or Maharashtra. The ram is decorated with neck ornaments (possibly a garland of bells) and an engraved crosshatch blanket over its back. It stands on a rectangular stepped brass plinth that at the front below the hooves has an engraved crosshatching design with a floral central panel. Below this are two bands of engraved scroll and chevron designs that encircle the plinth. In Hindu mythology, the ram is the vehicle (vahana) of Agni, the God of fire. Such pieces were often kept in the prayer room of houses in North Karnataka and Maharashtra.
"The ram loomed large as a religious icon across a great many cultures and was a part of the core of mythologies, of Pharoanic Egypt, pre-Christian Europe, Classical Greece, West Africa, and the Judeo-Christian tradition - and is often associated with celebrations of the “solar return” or return of spring and fertility after the hiatus of winter. Aries heralded the end of the season of death, and was thus also a symbol of fertility, new life and creative energy. Like the mythical phoenix, which arose in its own ashes, the ram was chosen as a natural symbol of resurrection because of its ability, when shorn, to replenish its stock of wool. The Sacred Ram is also considered a manifestation of the Sun-god and its creative power; a symbol of the resurrected Sun."
"The ram loomed large as a religious icon across a great many cultures and was a part of the core of mythologies, of Pharoanic Egypt, pre-Christian Europe, Classical Greece, West Africa, and the Judeo-Christian tradition - and is often associated with celebrations of the “solar return” or return of spring and fertility after the hiatus of winter. Aries heralded the end of the season of death, and was thus also a symbol of fertility, new life and creative energy. Like the mythical phoenix, which arose in its own ashes, the ram was chosen as a natural symbol of resurrection because of its ability, when shorn, to replenish its stock of wool. The Sacred Ram is also considered a manifestation of the Sun-god and its creative power; a symbol of the resurrected Sun."
